A report into a rail crash near Broughty Ferry in 2023 has criticised Dundee City Council for not doing enough to stop trees from falling onto the line.
A Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) report published today ruled the council did not “effectively manage the risk” of trees falling from its land onto the adjacent railway lines.
The ScotRail service was travelling past Orchar Park on December 27 at 84mph (135km/h) when it smashed into a tree that had fallen onto the track during Storm Gerrit.
The driver had a lucky escape – putting on the brakes and then diving behind his seat just before the tree smashed through the windscreen.
Thirty-seven passengers and three staff members on board the train at the time escaped serious harm.
Train hit fallen tree while travelling at 84mph
Crash Investigators found the tree had fallen from Barnhill Rock Gardens, a public park owned by Dundee City Council.
Storm Gerrit had been caused high winds and heavy rain for several hours preceding the accident.
RAIB’s investigation found “the soil in which the tree was rooted had characteristics which limited the tree’s ability to resist the wind forces acting on it.”
In addition, three other trees at this location had been felled before May 2023, increasing the exposure of the tree which fell to winds from the Firth of Tay.
Crash investigators critical of Dundee City Council’s tree management
The report said: “The risk of trees in Barnhill Rock Gardens falling onto the railway not being effectively controlled was the factor underlying the accident.
“Dundee City Council did not effectively manage the risk of trees falling from its land onto the adjacent railway lines.”
Investigators also discovered that 12 minutes before the crash a member of public called Network Rail alerting it to the danger.
However, despite repeated attempts by the call handler to alert Network Rail’s Scotland route control to the danger, the call was not answered until after the crash had occurred.
The RAIB found that telephone equipment used at Scotland Integrated Control Centre did not display missed call information.
Recommendations
A number of recommendations have now been made following the crash including:
- Network Rail to consider how technology to assist in the detection of trees subject to ‘altered exposure’, including those trees on third-party land.
- Dundee City Council to review its management of the trees to ensure it is effectively controlling the risk of them falling onto the railway.
A Dundee City Council spokesperson said: “The city council has received the report, and officers are looking in detail at the recommendations that have been made by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch.
“We continue to work with Network Rail to ensure effective control of the risk of trees falling onto the railway.”
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